Ruy Lopez: Steinitz Defense
C62 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 d6 4. d4
White scores 57.3% here across 1,666 club games — but the 29.9% who answer Bxc6+ score 51.0%, 6 points worse.
What White actually plays here
Across 1,666 games from a Lichess-derived book of club play, White scores 57.3% in this position. These are the replies people choose, and how each one works out.
| Reply | Games | Share | White scores | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bxc6+ | 498 | 29.9% | 51.0% | below the line |
| d4 | 371 | 22.3% | 62.8% | holds up |
| O-O | 312 | 18.7% | 63.0% | holds up |
| h3 | 277 | 16.6% | 54.9% | holds up |
| Nc3 | 104 | 6.2% | 55.3% | holds up |
| c3 | 60 | 3.6% | 64.2% | holds up |
| d3 | 34 | 2.0% | 48.5% | below the line |
"Below the line" means the reply scores at least three points worse than the position does overall. Replies played fewer than 25 times are left out: the sample is too small to read.
Is this costing you anything?
A table of averages cannot tell you whether you go wrong here — only your own games can. Opening Leak Lab reads your Chess.com or Lichess archive, finds the decisions you repeat, and checks each one against this book and a bundled Stockfish.